“It felt great to learn that the same spirit you see on campus carries forward even after you leave.” Alumni share what they loved most about Brown and the communities that shaped them.
A beloved professor. Lifelong friendships. Enlightening classes. Enduring traditions. There are many things that can spark love for Brown—and of course, no two stories are ever the same.
This Valentine’s Day, we asked alumni about a different form of love: their adoration for a place they will always call home. Here are just a few of the reasons why Brunonians hold Brown close to their hearts.
I arrived at Brown in fall 1974 and within a few days, I met several women as passionate about soccer as I was! We approached Associate Athletic Director Arlene E. Gorton, who was a great advocate for women’s sports. It turned out the men’s soccer coach Cliff Stevenson’s daughter Karen Stevenson ’76 also wanted to play soccer and she led efforts to bring a team of players together. Cliff recruited Bob Scalise ’71, Dom Starsia ’74, and several members of the men's team to help us practice, but we were not considered a varsity team. In the fall of 1975, we got varsity status and the rest is history! In 1977, the now legendary Phil Pincince, who had just graduated from Rhode Island College, became our coach, and led us to a 13-1 season.
- Amanda “Mandy” Stearns Merullo ’78, P’24
After I graduated, I realized that the community at Brown does not end at graduation: the Brown community stays with you. I looked up my local alumni club chapter and started volunteering. It felt great to learn that the same spirit you see on campus carries forward even after you leave.
Given how socially siloed people can feel these days, alumni clubs act as a bridge connecting potential students that are still looking, incoming students that have decided, current students that find themselves in town, and alumni looking for more ways to reconnect.
As president of the Brown Club of Atlanta, I get to welcome the next incoming class and their families along with other members. It’s a fantastic showcase of the diverse people and talent Brown attracts and the community it provides during and after your time in Providence.
- Franklin Young ’18
I was a serious bassoonist when I arrived at Brown. I thought I was done with marching bands. Just out of curiosity, though, during orientation week, I sat on the sidelines to see the Brown Band at its one and only rehearsal where they would practice marching in parade formation. There was an open spot in the front rank (row), and suddenly a cute trombone player ran over to me, asking if I could march. I was in!
The Brown Band quickly became the focal point of my life at Brown. Because we had weeknight rehearsals, most of us came to the Ratty for early dinner. In the ’70s, a large core of us lived in two dorms in Wriston. We played at all the home and away football and hockey games, as well as selected soccer and basketball games, and our teams were often champions in that era. Our band reflected the popularity of these sports, with a typical membership of 100-150. We spent a lot of time together!
The bus rides were especially fun. We sang and sang—lots of school spirit songs, many with our own verses and traditions—as well as playing games, chatting, pranks (and occasional school work). Though we had a faculty advisor/director of bands, we were a student-led organization.
For me, Brown was where I came into my own socially, as well as academically. I was surrounded by “my people” much more so than in high school. I developed my leadership skills as a member of the Band Board and created friendships which are strong to this day.
- Rozan Stone Anderson ’78
My first exposure to the magic of Barrett Hazeltine was in 1962 when I enjoyed a National Science Foundation summer program at Brown after my junior year of high school. That experience with him was the reason I decided to apply Early Decision to Brown. He later became my academic advisor and my Hegeman-A dormitory’s beloved faculty fellow. Professor Hazeltine also helped develop and enable my interest in biomedical engineering (BME), several years before he was instrumental in the start of formal BME programs at Brown. He is my all-time favorite educator and counselor, and I'll be forever thankful!
- Alan Furler ’67
The superlative breadth of courses and the caliber of professors I was privileged to learn from are among the many reasons I love Brown. From exploring the art of documentary filmmaking with Keith S. Brown, to advancing my Russian with Lynne deBenedette, to studying social entrepreneurship with Alan Harlam and the shaping of world views with Onésimo Almeida, these academic experiences continue to inform my thinking years later. Brown’s open and intellectually rigorous curriculum invited me to move fluidly across disciplines, sharpening my intellectual curiosity while giving me the confidence to integrate creative, analytical, and integrity-based decision-making in my work. That educational freedom has profoundly shaped how I approach problem-solving, storytelling, and leadership in my professional life.
- Caroline Sagalchik ’13
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